Form finisher bag



April 25, 1967 B. G. BLEVENS ET AL 3,315,853

FORM FINISHER BAG 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1966 INVENTORS BERTRAMe. BLEVENS FRANK H. R\CHTERKE$S1N6 we. saw,

ATTORNEY April 25, 1967 BLEVENS ET AL FORM FI NI SHER BAG 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed Jan. 4, 1966 INVENTORS BERTRAM G. BLEVENS FRANK H. RKIHTERKESSMGBY W75.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,315,853 FORM FINISHER BAG Bertram G.Blevens and Frank H. Richtcrkessing, Louisville, Ky., assignors to W. M.Cissell Manufacturing Company, Louisville, Ky., a corporation ofKentucky Filed Jan. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 518,623 8 Claims. ((11. 223-76)This invention relates to a flexible bag for use with form finishers andmore particularly to a bag which when inflated to selectively controlledmaximum limits at its waist and hem lines may be employed for handlinggarments of a wide range of sizes.

When bags of voluminous size, for example, those capable of handling asize 44 dress are used, a problem of preventing wrinkling of the bag inits waist region with resulting wrinkling of the finished garment islikely when such a bag later is used in processing smaller garments.Also when different size garment whose scye openings are at differentelevations with respect to the arm portions of the bag are to behandled, a problem of achieving optimum shaping of the bodice of thegarment is found. Moreover, the ever-present considerations ofpreventing belling of the extremities of a garment and the tendency ofthe skirt of a dress to crawl along the bag must be considered. It isthese and other problems confronted by the user of a form finisher whichit is a purpose of our invention to overcome.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved form finisher bagcapable of handling a large variety of sizes of garments and withoutimparting wrinkles to the finished garment in the waist region of thesame.

Another object is to provide an improved form finisher bag capable ofhandling a large variety of sizes of garments and of shaping the bodiceportion of the same with fidelity to the design of the bodice portion.

A further object is to provide a form finisher bag capable of handling alarge variety of sizes of dresses and of shaping the skirts of suchdresses in a generally cylindrical form.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent as thedescription proceeds and when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG; 1 is a perspective view of the bag in fully extended form and shownin position upon a form finisher.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a vertical section of the left hand side of thebag and with cooperating parts of a form finisher structure beingindicated in elevation.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and showing the bag distended toaccommodate a large size garment, a portion of which likewise is shownin section, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views similar to FIG. 3 and showing the positionsoccupied by the bag when accommodating medium and small size garmentsrespectively.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the bag of the present invention, by way ofillustration and not of limitation, is well suited for use with a formfinisher structure of the type more fully disclosed and claimed in thecopending application of Bertram G. Blevens, Ser. No. 485,33 8, filedSept. 7, 1965, and assigned to the same assignee as the presentinvention. Such an apparatus includes a stationary housing mounting amotor-driven blower 11 which forces air under pressure through conduit12 and into a stationary base assembly having an annular wall 13directing air upwardly into the bag. A conventional steam coil (notshown) is disposed within the base assembly for heating the air and isconnected to a steam inlet line 14 and to a condensate return line 15.

A conventional steam column (not shown) which may be of the type shownin Richterkessing Patent No. 3,006,516 projects upwardly from the baseassembly and is adapted to release steam within the bag under control3,3l5,d53 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 of a timer mounted on housing 10.Supported upon the steam column is a form finisher frame 16 of the typedisclosed in said Blevens application and attacted at its lower end toan annular wall 17 (FIG. 2) which is adapted to rotate with respect tothe stationary wall 13. At the upper end of the frame a neck andshoulder element 18 is supported and over which the bag is draped.

The bag itself comprises generally an assembly of pieces of a suitableflexible fabric material, such as nylon, cut to a suitable pattern, andwhich are pervious to steam and to air. The bodice portion 20 is sewnalong its lower peripheral edge to a bridging portion 21 which in turnis sewn along its lower peripheral edge to a relatively large diameter,elongated skirt portion 22. The skirt portion also is sewn along itslower peripheral edge to a bottom portion 23 the lowed end of which isprovided with a piping 24 in which a bag-fastening string is located.This string when fully tightened serves to hold the open lower end ofthe assembled bag in a groove 26 extending around the wall 17. By meansof triangular pleats or darts 27 the diameter of the bottom portion isreduced from a maximum at its junction with the skirt portion to aminimum at its piping 24 thus to reduce the tendency of the bag to belloutwardly under the lower edge of the garment being processed thereon.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the size of the bag may be convenientlyadjusted for handling dilferent sizes of garments by means of first andsecond drawstring arrangements which serve to define the size of thewaist line of the bodice portion of the bag and the hem line of theskirt portion of the same. The first of these means may comprise adrawstring 30 encircling the outer periphery of the bodice portion 20above the junction thereof with the bridging portion 21 and guided. inloops 31 afiixed to the outer surface of the bodice portion.

This first drawstring passes through an annular grommet 32 in the sideof the bodice portion of the bag and is trained through a ring 33attached to a pivoted arm 34 disposed within the bag, and after passingthrough the ring is attached to a suitable means as shown in saidBlevens application for taking up or paying out the first drawstring inorder to adjust the periphery of the waist line of the bag. In addition,a second drawstring 35 encircles the outer periphery of the skirtportion 22 adjacent its junction with the bottom portion 23 and isguided in loops 36 affixed to the outer surface of the skirt portion.This second drawstring passes through an annular grommet 37 in the sideof the skirt portion and is trained through a ring 38 attached to apivoted arm 39 disposed within the bag, and after passing through thering is attached to a suitable means, as shown in said Blevensapplication, for taking up and paying out the second drawstringindependently of the first drawstring and in order to adjust theperiphery of the hem line of the bag.

As a significant feature of the present invention, an inner bag portion4t) is provided for assisting in the proper distention of the bagbeneath the garment being processed thereon. This portion 49, whichpreferably is a separate piece of fluid-pervious flexible fabric havinga somewhat greater porosity than the skirt portion of the bag, is sewnat its upper edge to the bridging portion 21 along a peripheral line orstitch 41 and also at its lower edge to the skirt portion 22 along aperipheral line or stitch 42. Alternately, and without departing fromthe invention, the inner bag portion may comprise a part of the skirtportion in which event a separate portion of less porosity than theskirt portion may be used to form the material which is to contact thegarment immediately below the waist line. In any event, the area of theinner bag portion disposed between lines 41 and 42 is substantially lessthan the area of the skirt and bridging portions disposed between thoselines.

In a preferred form, the inner bag portion is also sewn to the skirtportion along an intermediate and third peripheral line or stitch 43thus to divide the segregated upper part of the skirt portion into anannular section 44 and an annular section 45. Preferably, the lowersection 44 when distended has a smaller volume than its companionsection 45.

The bodice portion includes a pair of arm portions 50 and 51 to theouter ends of which are affixed complementary fastening elements 52 and53. Conventional means, such as resilient bands 54 and 55, may bemovably positioned upon the arm portions for suitable adjustmenttherealong to prevent belling around the ends of garment sleeves. As afeature of the invention, the bodice portion and the lower side of thearm portions are suitably cut away to provide scye openings 56 and 57,the significance of which will later appear. If desired, conventionalsuspender means 58 attached to its lower ends to the front and rear ofthe bodice portion, as indicated at 59, and draped over the neck andshoulder element 13, may b employed without detracting from the intendedfunctioning of our improved bag.

The above-described voluminous bag is adapted to handle a variety ofsizes of garments and when smaller garments are being processed asignificant amount of excess bag material may be stored in the mannerdisclosed in the Blevens application by selectively lowering a storagering 60 which in turn pulls into storage alongside the wall 17 asubstantial area of the bottom portion 23 of the bag.

Furthermore, when sleeveless garments are to be processed the armportions of the bodice may be pulled inwardly through the scye openingsand the elements 52 and 53 attached to each other, it being understoodthat the space needed for such manipulation is provided by the size usedin the scye openings.

With the foregoing in mind, reference now is made to FIG. 3 showing agarment such as a womans dress of large size in position upon theinflated bag. To distinguish the garment from the bag, a space isindicated therebetween and which, in actual practice, does not existwhen the bag is inflated. As will be understood, the bag is deflatedwhen the dress is placed thereon and then as processing fluids aresupplied to the interior of the bag the following steps enuse. Inflationof the arm portions of the bag causes the arm portions of the dress, asseen at 61, to adopt their designed shape and likewise inflation ofthe'bodice portion of the bag causes the bodice 62 of the dress to adoptits proper shape. Since drawstring 36 is holding the waist line of thebag at the proper elevation, the waist line of the garment is free tolocate at its proper place on the bag.

When first placed on the bag the lowermost edge or hem 63 of the dressnormally is below the lowermost edge of the inner portion 40 of the bag.As inflation of the bag occurs, the annular section 44 inflatessimultaneously with the inflation of the upper, annular section 45 and,being confined by the enveloping dress, urges the section 45 into closecontact with the skirt 64 of that dress below the waist line of thedress. Meanwhile, the lower part of skirt portion has inflated intofrictional contact with the skirt of the dress and thus the dress doesnot tend to crawl up the bag. At this time the bridging portion 4-1 ofthe bag adjusts itself to the demands of the dress shape and preventsmaterial of the dress from being trapped between the bodice and skirtportions of the bag. Accordingly, no wrinkles are formed in the dress inthe region of its waist line while being processed on the bag. Theinvention is especially useful in processing dresses which require agenerally cylindrical shaping of the skirt in order to accommodatefullness in the hip region of the dress.

As seen in FIG. 5, when a small dress is being processed on the bag thedrawstrings and will first be pulled inwardly to decrease the waist andhem lines of the bag and the ring 60 will be lowered to store surplusmaterial of the bottom portion 23 of the bag. As described with respectto the assembly in FIG. 3, the annular sections 44 and distend whenfluid is supplied into the bag but to a much smaller extent. Under theseconditions the bridging portion 41 adjusts itself to the smallerperiphery of the smaller dress and substantially all of the fabric bagmaterial constituting section 45 will be disposed below that bridgingportion and will not be trapped in wrinkled condition at the waist lineof the garment.

As shown in FIG. 4 wherein a dress of medium size is being processed,the bridging portion 41 likewise adjusts itself so that the annularsection 45 may lift into close contact with the upper skirt portion ofthe dress and without being trapped between the dress and the bodiceportion of the bag. In each of the illustrated dress sizes, the underarmportion of the scye line at the edge of the scye opening of the dress isfree to seek its proper position in the cut-away bodice portion 20 andin the cut-away underarm portions of the sleeve of the bag.

Having thus described our invention and its attendant advantages, it isintended that the appended claims are to cover such changes andmodifications of the described bag structure as come within the truespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A form finisher bag comprising, a bodice portion, a skirt portion, abridging portion connecting said bodice and skirt portions and servingto space the same from each other, a bottom portion connected to thelower edge of said skirt portion and serving to enclose the lower end ofsaid bag, a first drawstring means for adjusting the waist line of saidbag peripherally of said bodice portion and above said bridging portion,a second drawstring means for adjusting the hem line of said bagperipherally of said skirt portion and adjacent the junction of saidskirt and bottom portions, and an inner bag portion extendingperipherally of said bag and connected along a first peripheral line atits upper edge to said bridging portion and along a second peripheralline at its lower edge to said skirt portion and above the hemline ofsaid bag, the area of skirt and bridging portions disposed between saidfirst and second connecting lines being greater than the area of saidinner portion disposed between said first and second connecting lines.

2. A bag as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner bag portion has agreater porosity to processing fluids than does said skirt portion.

3. A bag as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner bag portion isconnect-ed to said skirt portion along a third peripheral lineintermediate said first and second peripheral lines thereby to dividethe bag material, exteriorly and circumferentially of said inner bagportion into two separate annular sections.

4. A bag as defined in claim 3 wherein the lower of said annularsections contains a smaller volume of space than the other annularsection.

5. A bag as defined in claim 1 wherein said first and second drawstringmeans include first and second drawstrings respectively, encircling theouter peripheries of said bag at the waist and hemlines thereof andpassing through apertures in said bag located adjacent the waist andhemlines of the bag.

6. A form finisher bag comprising, a bodice portion, a pair of armportions extending outwardly from said bodice portion, said bodiceportion and the adjacent underarm sections of said arm portions beingcut away to provide scye openings in said bag and adapted to receive theunderarm scye line sections of a variety of sizes of garments, a skirtportion, a bridging portion connecting said bodice and skirt portionsand serving to space the same from each other, a bottom portionconnected to the lower edge of said skirt portion and serving to enclosethe lower end of said bag, a first drawstring means for adjusting thewaist line of said bag peripherally of said bodice portion and above thebridging portion, and a second drawstring means for adjusting thehemline of said bag peripherally of said skirt portion and adjacent thejunction of said skirt and bottom portions.

7. A bag as defined in claim 6 including fastening means at the outerends of said arm portions adapted to connect with each other interiorlyof said bag following the pulling of said arm portions inwardly throughsaid scye openings of said bodice portion.

8. A hollow garment shaping bag for use on the frame of a garmentfinishing machine, said bag being formed of a flaccid, gas-perviousmaterial and having bodice and tubular arm portions each adapted, underthe influence of a processing gas introduced into the interior of thebag, to expand into contact with a garment placed thereon; the saidbodice portion having an opening at each respective side of the shoulderportions thereof, each such opening forming the scye at which therespective arm portion is attached to the bodice portion and which armportion is adapted, under the influence of the processing gas introducedinto the bag, to extend outwardly from the bodice portion; theattachment of each arm portion at its scye being continuous across thetop and along the upper side edges thereof and with the said arm portionbeing unattached to the bodice portion across the bottom and along thelower side edges of its scye, said unattached portion providing anopening at the lower portion of the scye between the arm portion and therespective side of the bodice portion of the bag and into whichlast-mentioned opening the armpits of the sleeves of various garmentshaving a size smaller than the maximum size of the bag may extend; thusto avoid wrinkling of the armpit portions of garments being finishedupon the bag.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,948,444 8/1960Paris 22367 2,986,312 5/1961 Petzold et al. 223--70 2,990,983 7/1961Jackson 223-67 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, G. V. LARKIN,

Assistant Examiners.

1. A FORM FINISHER BAG COMPRISING, A BODICE PORTION, A SKIRT PORTION, ABRIDGING PORTION CONNECTING SAID BODICE AND SKIRT PORTIONS AND SERVINGTO SPACE THE SAME FROM EACH OTHER, A BOTTOM PORTION CONNECTED TO THELOWER EDGE OF SAID SKIRT PORTION AND SERVING TO ENCLOSE THE LOWER END OFSAID BAG, A FIRST DRAWSTRING MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE WAIST LINE OF SAIDBAG PERIPHERALLY OF SAID BODICE PORTION AND ABOVE SAID BRIDGING PORTION,A SECOND DRAWSTRING MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE HEM LINE OF SAID BAGPERIPHERALLY OF SAID SKIRT PORTION AND ADJACENT THE JUNCTION OF SAIDSKIRT AND BOTTOM PORTIONS, AND AN INNER BAG PORTION EXTENDINGPERIPHERALLY OF SAID BAG AND CONNECTED ALONG A FIRST PERIPHERAL LINE ATITS UPPER EDGE TO SAID BRIDGING PORTION AND ALONG A SECOND PERIPHERALLINE AT ITS LOWER EDGE TO SAID SKIRT PORTION AND ABOVE THE HEMLINE OFSAID BAG, THE AREA OF SKIRT AND BRIDGING PORTIONS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAIDFIRST AND SECOND CONNECTING LINES BEING GREATER THAN THE AREA OF SAIDINNER PORTION DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONNECTING LINES.